Title
Vote on a Request to Approve Grant Applications for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Abstract
Action Requested: Vote on a request to approve grant applications for electric vehicle charging stations.
Introduction & Background: These grants are part of Phase 2 of the Volkswagen Settlement Fund grants for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Chatham County applied for and received a grant last year for both a DC Fast charger and a Level 2 charger under the first phase of this state program. The DC Fast charger was installed at the Smithfield’s Restaurant in Siler City and the Level 2 charger was installed at the Chatham County Agriculture and Conference Center in Pittsboro. These stations have both been installed and should both be operational by the time of this meeting.
Knowing that there would be a second phase of this program, money was budgeted in the Sustainability budget for FY 2022 to cover expected county costs in the event we were awarded additional grants this fiscal year.
Discussion & Analysis: This phase of the grant program does not require a match if the charging stations will be publicly available and are on government owned property. However, there is a maximum funding amount per charging port. For the Level 2 program, the maximum is $5,000 per port and at least two ports are required per project. So, the grant would provide $10,000 for a two-port project. This is the same as the Phase 1 Level 2 grant program.
The location being considered for this charger is the Goldston Library. The Goldston library would provide a charger in a portion of the county that does not have ready access to any public charging infrastructure. From this location, there is access to the library itself, as well as two restaurants within easy walking distance.
For the DC Fast program, the maximum funding is $60,000 per port for the size station we are considering. The charger would be a single port, exactly like the one installed at the Smithfield’s in Siler City.
For the DC Fast charger, staff is considering the Dunlap building. This location sits at the intersection of two regional highways, similar to the Siler City location. Because DC Fast charging stations are typically used to charge on longer trips, so it makes sense to place them along more heavily used routes.
Staff is still trying to confirm the availability of the necessary amount and type of electricity at the DC Fast charger site. Depending on the electrical and site logistics, there may be a possibility of installing two ports using the same power supply. This would make the overall project more expensive, but the County’s portion should be the same or less. It is also possible that the power profile in that area is not suitable for a DC Fast charging station. If this is the case, staff would like to request permission as part of this agenda item to apply for an additional level 2 grant, instead.
How does this relate to the Comprehensive Plan: Several sections of Plan Chatham mention encouraging the use of electric vehicles as a way to reduce emissions in the county. Installing public charging infrastructure is a way to encourage adoption of electric vehicles. Placing them strategically throughout the county can help normalize the adoption of electric vehicles for all county residents.
Budgetary Impact: The expected cost of the Level 2 station and five years of pre-paid maintenance and network access is approximately $20,000. The grant rebate is $10,000, so the county portion would be $10,000. Installing two Level 2 stations would double this cost. The expected cost of the single-port DC Fast station and five years of pre-paid maintenance and network access is approximately $95,000. The grant rebate is $60,000, so the county portion would be $35,000. If a dual-port DC Fast station is possible, the expected cost would be approximately $145,000 and the rebate amount would be $120,000, so the county portion would be approximately $25,000.
Recommendation: Approve the request to apply for these grants for electric vehicle charging stations.